ANNUAL REPORT 2018 CONTENTS Chair’s Review of 2018 Patron’s Address Secretary’s Report Planning Group Report Highways Group Report Rail Group Report Talks & Tours Group Report Heritage Group Report Citizenship Group Report Heritage Open Days Report Design Awards Our Trustees & Working Groups Trustees Report Treasurer’s Report 2018 Annual Accounts 2019 Calendar of Events Acknowledgements Executive Committee Meeting Venue: Photographs courtesy of: We would like to express our sincere thanks to Richard Metcalfe Friends of Friarwood Valley Gardens and all the staff at Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel for their hospitality. Pontefract Heritage Group Peter Cookson Rail Group Meeting Venue: Michael Hirst We would like to express our sincere thanks to Mick Todd & Steve Wakefield Council Ridge and all the staff at Pontefract Squash & Leisure Centre Christine Cartwright Wakefield District Housing We would also like to thank Wakefield MDC for access to Medlock Photography Pontefract Town Hall Telephone: 07598 336027 Email: [email protected] Website: www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk Registered charity number 513509 www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk 2 CHAIR’S REVIEW OF 2018 For some in Pontefract Civic Society, it has been a really busy decorations, both in windows and inside business premises, that year, and I am very thankful of those who have delivered within we will bring back our judged competition in 2019. their role and supported me in going the extra mile. We are thankful to Nathan Garbutt Moore in putting Pontefract Engaging Business Civic Society forward for a small grant from the Interserve Employee Foundation, from which a project will be delivered Following the 2017 Christmas Trail, which promoted independent from March, 2019. businesses, we have continued to use social media and our talks to promote businesses, in particular though not exclusively, those who support us. Civic Pride - Engaging with community based organisations Our Executive is thankful to the support from Richard Metcalfe We held all our talks in 2018 at Carleton Grange, though for 2019 and his staff at Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel, in hosting our monthly we took the decision to use the Town Hall as a more central and meetings. Similarly, our Rail Group is thankful for the continued accessible location for all. support from Steve Ridge and the team at Pontefract Squash & Leisure Centre, in providing a meeting room each month. We do pay St Mary’s Community Centre to print a small quantity We are thankful for the support of Linda, Chris & Richard of communications for our members without an email address, Pennock in selling the late Martin Lodge’s book and our 2019 though by comparison with membership fees that cost per heritage-based calendar at Pomfret Gallery, and in return we member is subsidized by the civic society. St Mary’s is a business have given regular support by sharing social media posts. member, and in that respect have promoted their services, office Towards the end of 2018, as we were aware that Wakefield MDC space, and events. were producing a map of independent retailers in Pontefract, we made the decision not to confuse the business community or the We have actively supported a number of organisations in public by creating a Christmas trail, though we did extensively meetings and events, as well as paid advertising and donations, photograph all those businesses which did decorate their and those are St Mary’s & St Giles Pantomime Society, Pontefract shops and offices. In fact, such was the appetite for Christmas in Bloom, The Crescent Project and Pontefract Heritage Group. Registered charity number 513509 www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk 3 WDH Barracks estate entrance feature Entente Cordiale as civic society On Monday 12th November, the day after Remembrance welcomes French visitors Sunday, Christine and I together with Mike Skidmore attended On Sat 12 May, we gave an official welcome at Pontefract Town the official launch of the commemorative entrance feature at Hall to 60 visitors from France, accompanied by their 20 hosts the Barracks Estate. The Barracks Community Association, from Selby. This was the culmination of months of planning Wakefield District Housing and Pontefract Civic Society were between the group’s coordinator, Lizzie Cooper, and our Chair, involved in arranging and financing the feature through grants, Paul Cartwright. including a handsome commemorative World War One steel bench. The Selby-Carentan Twinning Association was founded in 1974, promotes friendship between the residents of Selby and those The Barracks was the home to many soldiers during their initial in the French town of Carentan in Normandy. Each year visits training from the time before the Boer War right up until 1968. alternate between the two towns. As a result of its heritage and impact on the town, Pontefract Civic Society will continue to work with the Barracks The day commenced with a talk in the Nelson Room from Community Association and Wakefield District Housing which Allan Blaza, followed by refreshments at St Giles Church, for may see the addition of a further bench, and an interpretation which our French visitors offered praise to the scones baker. board, which we have discussed with Col. Gerald Delany. Two simultaneous heritage walks followed, one led by Jayne Poppleton, Heidi White (Pontefract Heritage Group), the Promoting Pontefract other led by Paul Cartwright, which covered the town centre, Throughout 2018, book sales have continued, mostly online Friarwood Valley Gardens and the St Richard’s Friary site. After (thanks to Karl), on our PR stall at community events, though lunch, their choices included the new displays at Pontefract supported by Pontefract Library for Roger Ellis’ book, and Museum, a dungeon tour at the Castle, or leisure time around the Pomfret Gallery continues to sell Martin Lodge’s book. They market, glimpsing blue plaques along the way; most of the group also sold our 2019 Heritage Calendar. On the latter project, opted for the Museum, and we were very thankful to Wakefield our thanks go to local photographer, Michael Hirst, who Council for making that possible. painstakingly photographed and matched new images to our selection of heritage images from Wakefield Libraries archives The English and French visitors alike enjoyed themselves very with their permission. much and all took home very positive memories of Pontefract. Thanks were offered to Allan Blaza and to Pontefract Heritage Registered charity number 513509 www.pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk 4 Group. The Selby Coordinator, Lizzie Cooper, thanked Paul contemporary photography. Cartwright for arranging the programme. The English and French Fashionable new coffee shops, vibrant gaming stores and chic alike enjoyed themselves very much and all took home very boutiques have appeared in recent years on Pontefract’s streets, positive memories of Pontefract. against a backdrop of online shopping giants. Pontefract’s people and its shops are changing but some things remain universally York Civic Trust Visit to Pontefract familiar. In August, a very inquisitive group of 20 members of York Civic The temporary exhibition compliments the redisplay of Trust participated in a guided heritage walk of Pontefract’s Pontefract Museum’s main gallery. Market Place conservation area. We brushed past The Mount conservation area and Friarwood Valley Gardens - part of the Pontefract Civic Society was asked to reach out to civic society Button Park & Friarwood conservation area (both the latter two, members and the public for stories and reminiscences, which the civic society was responsible for gaining approval since the resulted in a great piece of collaboration between Pontefract turn of the century), and finally our route concluded at Pontefract Museum, ourselves and the public. Town Hall. Before the walk commenced our visitors were treated to a “welcome” which was proclaimed by the then newly Pomfret WI appointed Pontefract Town Crier, John Turner, of Pontefract Heritage Group. In March, we gave a talk on Pontefract’s blue plaques to the WI which was well received. The start of the tour was led by Paul Cartwright and was supported by Phil Henfrey, Dr Colin White, Allan Blaza and Karl Partnerships and statutory Gilbert. authorities In the two hours available, it was a challenge to show some of Our senior meetings with Wakefield MDC have taken place at Pontefract’s conserved medieval, Georgian, Victorian and later intervals during 2018, starting with Andy Wallhead (now at architecture together with the significance of earlier periods WDH), Neil Rodgers in June, and from September with Tom such as the Romans, Anglo Saxons, the arrival the de Lacy family Stannard, together with Cllrs Jeffery and Jones. and later royal connections. More recent commentary of our rich and varied history included the town’s trades, street names and We were concerned with the proposed governance structure markets, going onto its varied industries of liquorice, the army, resulting in a quarterly meeting for the Pontefract Working maltsters, mining, whilst also including mention of the arrival of Group, this we initially objected to. We felt that given our support the racecourse, and the unique geography which delivered three to the initial consultation, the level of public interest, and the rail stations to the town, though we are still waiting for better rail volume of work ahead of us, a quarterly meeting was totally services over a hundred years later! inappropriate for us to represent the interests of Pontefract. This was reviewed and revised to a monthly meeting which has At the end of their visit Stephen Lusty (Events Chair from YCT) been productive and more engaging towards the end of the said that the pride in Pontefract and in the civic society shone year. Meetings with Highways and on Rail have been reported through, and our proactive attitude has enabled so much to be elsewhere. done in the town. YCT Visit Coordinator Agnes Winter felt that their eyes were opened at what Pontefract had to offer and what Our use of Pontefract Town Hall for meetings and heritage walks Pontefract Civic Society has achieved.